Heart, Unbreakable
by Lomesir
Summary: Leonard and Carol must learn that love is not always easy, and happy endings are not guaranteed. :Part 4 of the Celebrations series:
1. It Started With a Breakup

_Hearts will never be practical until they are made unbreakable. - Unknown_

* * *

Mama McCoy once said that nothing good ever happened after midnight.

Her son Leonard, then seventeen, now in his late thirties, was inclined to agree. Something about the darkness of planetside night and the quiet hum of Enterprise night brought out people's true selves, and more often than not they landed in the medbay, and occasionally the brig. Worse yet, Leonard had always felt pressed into honesty late at night. It got him into more trouble than he cared to remember.

His girlfriend Carol's smooth hand ran up and down his leg under the covers and he shivered at the contact, though his loins remained unstirred. They were both in the hazy aftermath of great sex and content to just feel each other's warmth. Carol turned her head on the pillow they shared and bumped her nose to his.

"Hey, you," she breathed, pecking his lips ever so lightly. "That was fun."

Leonard held her hands. "Is it ever anything else?"

They giggled like children and kissed again. Carol hummed contentedly and closed her eyes. "I want this moment to last forever, here with you in the stars. I don't want anything to change."

Leonard squeezed her hands a little. "I'm not going anywhere, darling. I can't promise anything else, but you've got me."

Carol opened her eyes, her two-toned gaze meeting his brown one. "I love you, you know."

Leonard let go of one of her hands to stroke her cheek. "I know," he said, smiling. "I hope you know that I love you."

They kissed again. Leonard lifted her hand up to kiss her knuckles. "Did I ever tell you that you have perfect hands?"

Carol grinned. "You didn't, actually. Please rectify this mistake by describing them in absurd detail."

Leonard laughed. "Your fingers are the longest, most delicate fingers I've ever seen. Pianist's fingers, my mama'd call them. I love how they feel on my skin when they're _caressing_ me." He led one of her hands down to his hardening length, which she began to caress just so.

"Go on," she said primly.

"Your nails are beautiful, especially when they're making red scratches down my back when we make love."

"Shag. If I'm scratching your back, it's shagging."

"I stand corrected, ma'am."

Carol swirled her thumb around his leaking tip and they took a break from talking for several minutes.

When Carol finally came up for air, Leonard grabbed her and kissed the remnant of his own fluid off her lips. After they broke apart, he held her close while she rested her head on his chest.

"There's just one thing that might make your hands better," Leonard said as he kissed the top of her head. She twisted around to face him, eyebrow raised.

"What's that?"

Leonard entwined their fingers. "How would you feel about a ring on one of them?"

Carol bolted upright. "Len, are you asking me to marry you?" She cocked her head to the side. "Because proposing immediately after sex…"

Leonard couldn't contain his laughter. He sat up and wiped his eyes on the sheet. "I know, I know, it's a proposal no-no. And I don't even have a ring yet, so don't freak out. But with all the planning Sulu and Chekov are doing…well, it got me thinking. I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. We're good for each other." His face softened. "What do you say, darling? Would you ever consider hitching your wagon to mine?"

Carol nodded, and then started laughing. "I don't know if I just said yes to a proposal, or agreed to say yes to a proposal!"

Leonard pulled her down to the pillow again. "Where are we going to live after we're married? Georgia is my favorite place of course, but I wouldn't say no to the United Kingdom. I've heard it's nice."

Carol shrugged delicately. "We don't have to worry about that for years."

Bones quirked an eyebrow. "The five-year mission is more than half over. We'll be Earth-side before you know it."

Carol made a small _oh well_ gesture. "We'll be on the planet for a year or two, but we'll have to live where Starfleet tells us to live, and then we'll be assigned to another ship. I'm not really focused on where we'd live ten years from now."

Leonard did a double take. "Ten years from now!"

Carol's eyes went wide. "Well, yes, sweetheart. This won't be my last mission. I'm a weapons specialist, and you're the best doctor in the fleet. We're both in demand; they'll send us out again."

Leonard sat up. "Carol, I was hoping that after we're married we'd settle down, not go gallivanting around the galaxy forever."

Carol sat up next to him, face hard. "A few more years is hardly forever, Leonard. I put a lot of time and effort into my education, and I intend to use it fully."

"So teach at the Academy," he suggested.

"I'm best used in the fleet," Carol said flatly. "And that's where I'm staying."

Leonard ran a hand through his hair and lay down once more. "It's too late for this conversation. Let's go to sleep."

"Yes, let's," Carol agreed.

They spoke no more.

* * *

A quiet day went by with no extraordinary space adventures. Leonard and Carol met for dinner in her quarters as they usually did. They sipped their tomato soup quietly until Leonard put down his spoon.

"I think we should talk about last night."

Carol knew this was coming. "I agree. You start, sweetheart."

Leonard took a deep breath. "After this mission, I'm not going back into space. I'll leave Starfleet I go again. I have a little girl who is growing up without me, and on top of that I just don't like this tin can, anyway. Please tell me you understand this," he said, perhaps a tad imploringly.

Carol nodded, face smoothly impassive. "I understand, Leonard. Those are valid reasons and I respect them. Is there anything else?"

Leonard fought an urge to look down. "Earth is safer."

Carol nodded again. "It is safer, and I can see that a man starting a family afresh would want to preserve it."

Leonard took a sip of water. "Your turn, darling."

Carol folded her hands in her lap and tried not to twist them. "I want to leave the Enterprise one day—I _will_ leave, in fact—but not yet. I'm a scientist, and I have a job to do on board this ship. I would consider leaving my post prematurely to be a dereliction of duty."

"Would you even consider teaching? Or perhaps working at one of the weapons facilities? They need weapons specialists."

Carol shook her head. "The frontier is my calling. I may leave the Enterprise soon, but I'm not leaving space."

The words hung between them like foul smoke.

"No compromise, then."

Carol looked away. "No."

"We have to choose to be adults about this," he said quietly.

"I know," Carol whispered, her voice threatening to break.

"It's not because we hate each other—"

"—or because one of us made a mistake."

They both stood up. Leonard's cheeks were pink and Carol couldn't stop blinking. They looked at each other for a long moment.

"I really do love you, Carol." His eyes were very bright.

Carol closed the space between them and swept him into a passionate, wet kiss that turned into heavy, desperate sobs. She cried into his chest while he stroked her hair and murmured kind words, his own quiet tears falling down his cheeks. When she calmed down enough to take several deep breaths, he helped her sit down on her bed.

"There, it's all out now. Everything will get better from here."

A few final words were said, and then he left her alone in her room. She hid her face in her hands and tried to ignore the terrible pain in her chest.

* * *

Jim spewed the sip of bourbon he'd just taken all over Leonard's desk.

"Are you _serious_? Tell me you're not serious. Tell me this is some kind of lame joke."

Leonard glared at Jim and mopped up the wasted liquor with his sleeve. "No, I'm not joking. Carol and I realized we wanted different things for ourselves and we couldn't find middle ground. The sensible thing to do was break up before tragedy struck."

"Because this isn't tragic at all," Jim said, his words dripping with sarcasm.

Leonard was too tired to call him out on his tone. "Yes, this is sad, and I feel like shit. But it's better that we got out early while we were still unencumbered. It was a mutual breakup, and there are no hard feelings."

"There's _always_ hard feelings after a breakup," Jim said, swirling the bourbon around his glass. "No matter how many hugs and friendly words there are, someone starts to resent their pain."

Leonard wrinkled his nose. "Did you ever stop and think that maybe you're just breaking up wrong?"

Jim gave a derisive snort. "Look at that, I'm catching heat from Mr. Got-Nothing-Left-But-His-Bones."

Leonard inclined his head. "Fair enough."

They sat in heavy silence for a few minutes. Jim drained his glass and poured himself another. He raised it in a toast. "To being single."

Leonard halfheartedly raised his glass. "To being single."

* * *

Reviews are loved.


	2. Tomato Soup for the Soul

For the fifth time that day, Angelo Cardozo regretted going to nursing school. Cleaning up vomit was _not _how he'd planned to spend his time on the USS Enterprise. Three patients had vomited on his shoes so far during his shift, and the unkempt woman waiting for him now in the bay sitting area was looking more than a little green around the gills. He made a mental note to stay three feet from her at all times. Three more sick-looking crewmen were waiting to be seen after her. One of them threw up into a bag.

Flu outbreaks _sucked_.

He looked at the intake form to see his next patient's name. "You can come on back, Lieutenant…Marcus?"

That was Lieutenant _Marcus_? His commanding officer's former lady love? Clearly, breaking up didn't agree with her. She looked almost bedraggled with her lanky hair and sallow skin. He suppressed his shock and beckoned her to follow. She walked past him without a word and sat on the exam table, radiating misery. Though he (and everyone else in medbay) privately resented her for breaking Dr. McCoy's heart, he vowed to be nice to her today. These past three weeks had obviously been hard on her, too.

"How are you feeling today, ma'am?" He asked delicately.

"Awful. I ache all over, I have a headache that nothing will cure, and I can't keep anything down."

Nurse Cardozo wrote all her complaints down on his PADD, unsurprised. "We've had a breakout of the common flu aboard. Sounds like you've got it, too." He handed her a PADD to sign. "Everything's pretty straightforward; I'll put you on medical profile for a few days and get it approved by Dr. McCoy, and you should use your time off to rest and drink lots of fluids."

Lieutenant Marcus nodded mutely and signed her name. "What if I'm still sick after my profile ends?"

"We'll be right here if that's the case. You feel better now, ma'am." He opened the door to usher her out. Dr. McCoy was standing right outside, hand raised mid-knock. Lieutenant Marcus colored for the first time since she'd come into the bay.

"Um, hello," she mumbled, frantically pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. Dr. McCoy, who was also rather red in the face, seemed frozen to the floor where he stood.

Nurse Cardozo wished the Klingons would attack so everyone would focus on something else.

"Are you sick?" Dr. McCoy blurted. "You don't look very good."

"I have the flu," the lieutenant supplied quickly, nodding towards the nurse. "I think you have to sign my profile sheet."

Without taking his eyes off her the doctor reached over and scribbled on the PADD. "I'm sorry you're sick."

There was a painful silence.

"Yes, well, I'll see you later," she said finally, then pushed past Dr. McCoy and hurried out of the medbay. He watched her leave with an expression on his face that made the nurse duck out of the room to give him some privacy.

* * *

A day passed. At one point during Leonard's shift he thought he saw the swish of blonde hair and science blues at the far end of the medbay, but it was too quick to be sure. And of course, his mind had been playing such tricks on him for three weeks.

He went back to his blood tests and pushed it out of his mind.

* * *

More days passed. On the morning of the fourth day, Carol woke to soft knocking on her door. She groaned the code to unlock the door and then called, "come in."

The door slid open and she saw Leonard holding a tray with a steaming bowl, a cup, and a small slice of bread. Her stomach lurched and she rolled over. "Please, Len, hide the food. I'm going to be sick on the floor."

Leonard gently placed the tray on her chest of drawers and sat on the edge of her bed. "You can't throw up anything when you haven't eaten in several days, darlin'. I got an alert today that you haven't ordered food from the replicators in forty-eight hours. I'm worried about you."

She turned over to look at him. "I talked to Dr. M'Benga after I saw you and, well, it's nothing I can't handle."

Leonard shook his head. "No normal flu lasts this long."

Carol sat up slowly and with much creaking. Leonard reached over to prop up her pillows for her, and she smiled a bit. "Thanks, Len."

Leonard smiled nervously. "I wasn't sure if you'd allow me to come here. I really am worried about you, though. Humor a country doctor and try some soup? Tomato with chopped parsley, just how you like it."

Carol sighed and nodded. "Just a few spoonfuls, and please take out the parsley."

"Why?" He raised an eyebrow, though he started to pick out the green leaves as requested.

"Too much flavor will, uh, be bad for my stomach," she said quickly. "Don't want to be sick on you."

Leonard shrugged and handed her the bowl and spoon. "Whatever you say, hon."

Carol sipped the red liquid and felt a heavy surge of affection for the man sitting next to her. She felt an overwhelming desire to hear his voice, which always made her feel better, no matter what was ailing her. "Tell me what's been going on."

* * *

"So what happened next?" Carol leaned forward, eager to hear the conclusion of Leonard's story. Her soup was on the side table, forgotten.

"You'll never believe it. The psycho got on his planet's video feeds and announced that unless the Federation halts the construction of the starbase orbiting their planet, his group will build a missile and launch it at the starbase."

"You're shitting me."

"Nope."

"Are they a credible threat?"

Leonard snorted. "The Terra Independence Army—"he made finger quotes when he said the last word—"has been rattling their sabers for years. The most they've ever done is vandalize interplanetary embassies and consulates. They talk big, but that's just it—they're all talk."

Carol let out a low whistle and leaned back into her pillows. "I'm sure Starfleet must love that."

Leonard picked up her PADD and scrolled through it for a moment. "Well, we were diverted to Ser'anjai IV to flex our muscles a little bit because of it. The upside is that we're being allowed shore leave there. Sulu and Chekov just made reservations at some fancy inn for their wedding ceremony."

"How sweet," Carol said, smiling at the thought.

Leonard clapped hand to his forehead. "Speaking of sweet, Joanna called! She says hello, and she wants you to know that she's learning about the kings and queens of Great Britain is history class. She sang me a song listing all their names."

"I wish I could've heard that! I bet it's the same one I learned growing up. How big is she now?"

"At least six inches taller than the last time I saw her."

Carol rolled her eyes. "Len, you say that every time you talk to her."

He laughed. "Well, it's true every time I talk to her. That child grows like a weed."

Carol's question about Joanna's general health was interrupted by a coughing fit. She and Leonard reached for her water at the same time, and their hands brushed each other. The glass was knocked over in their haste to move away. "Damn it," Carol hissed.

"I've got it," Leonard said, kneeling down to mop up the water with the napkin.

"No, let me," Carol insisted, throwing back the covers.

"It's my fault."

"No, it's mine."

"Don't be silly, it's—"

"I moved too—"

They looked up to argue at the same time and their gazes met, not one foot apart. Their breath hitched, and Leonard cleared his throat.

"I made the mess, Carol," he said, his voice rough. "I'll clean it up."

"I helped, Leonard. I was there, too," she said, her voice breaking on the last.

Leonard swallowed and stood up from where he was kneeling. Carol sat back down on her bed and arranged her covers over herself. They were silent for a minute, just looking at each other.

"I'm very tired," Carol said slowly, after the silence became too awkward to bear. "I'm going to go to sleep now. I'm feeling a little better, so I think I'll report tomorrow."

Leonard looked like he was about to say something, but he just stooped down and kissed her forehead with a quiet "feel better". Then he was out the door and she willed away her nausea, though she wasn't sure whether her condition or the day's events was the cause.

* * *

Carol reported for duty the next morning, but only to personally request Commander Spock for a transfer from the nuclear experimentation stations on Engineering 1 to desk duty on Engineering 2.

"It's safer," she said.

Spock just raised an eyebrow and signed the transfer form.


	3. It's Zeus Or Nothing

"No. No rice. It's bad for birds."

Pavel made a face but scratched off the words "throw rice" off his list of wedding ideas. He, Hikaru, Carol, and Uhura were sitting on the observation deck in a quiet corner with PADDs and sketch notebooks spread out on a table. They'd been there for nearly two hours already.

"You could have the guests blow bubbles," Uhura suggested, mimicking blowing through a bubble stick. "Bubbles are cheaper than rice, too."

"It might be too late to order a hundred little bubble bottles, though," Carol pointed out.

Hikaru massaged his temple. "Why do we have to have anything at all for when we leave the ceremony? Can't cheering and wishing us well do the job?"

"It's traditional, Hikaru," Pavel said while patting his fiance's arm. Hikaru _hmph_ed and picked up a PADD.

"I don't want to think about this anymore. Have we heard back on the food?"

Uhura nudged another PADD towards him. "The wedding planner on the planet said that the vegetarian option would be the cheapest, since three of the five major meat suppliers in the region have been destroyed by wildfire lately. They're going through a drought."

"Damn _it_," Hikaru snapped, throwing down his stylus. "What else has gone wrong? Did the inn burn down? Rioting in the streets?"

Carol and Uhura looked at each other as if to mentally communicate "should we tell him?"

Pavel groaned. "What is it now?"

Uhura sighed. "Because of the recent threats from that radical group, about half the guests from the ship will miss the ceremony. We couldn't rearrange the schedule at so late a date."

"Could we moof ze reception to ze ship? Eweryone should at least haff some wodka," Pavel offered.

Carol shook her head. "The inn fees are non-refundable. Unless you're comfortable losing five thousand credits…"

"No," Pavel and Hikaru said together.

Uhura shrugged. "Then you're going to have to get used to the idea of a small wedding. I'm not even sure the Captain will be able to officiate."

They argued over details for a while longer until Hikaru snapped, "This was just supposed to be casual sex!" He threw down his notebook and stormed off. Pavel looked highly affronted and followed him out of the deck, cursing in mixed Russian and Standard.

Uhura collected her things and bid a cheery farewell to Carol.

When everyone was gone, Carol carefully typed a short message on her personal PADD:

**On observation deck in squishy chairs, thought we might have a chat. Join me in an hour?**

She hit send and waited for a reply. A few minutes later her PADD lit up:

**Sure! Is it okay if I come earlier? I'm not on duty.**

But she was already asleep.

* * *

A gentle hand on her shoulder jerked Carol awake. She looked up and saw Leonard's smiling face looking down at her. "Hey, Sleeping Beauty. You wanted to see me?"

Carol gave herself a little shake. "Sorry, Len, I hope you weren't waiting for me to wake up." She gestured at the chair next to her. "Please, sit with me."

Leonard settled himself into the armchair and they looked out at the velvety black of space for a few moments. Leonard seemed to be waiting for Carol to begin. She tucked a strand of hair behind her hair, a nervous habit she was unable to break.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking, lately," she began hesitantly. "I think I might have been a bit too obdurate when I made—when _we_ made—our big decision of couple of weeks ago." She twisted her hands in her lap. "I wanted to maybe…talk about it some more?"

Leonard's expression of polite interest softened almost imperceptibly. "Sure, Carol. Anything you want to talk about, we can talk about."

Carol weighed her words. "What if after this mission I spent several years on the ground, then went out for another mission? That way we could get settled in and get our bearings."

Leonard contemplated it. "How many more missions would you go on?"

"Not many, and certainly not another five-year," Carol said quickly. "Maybe none at all. I just want the option."

Leonard nodded slowly. "You don't want to be tied down. I understand that."

Carol's relief flooded her face. "Yes, exactly."

"Compromise is a two-way street," Leonard said thoughtfully. "I've been talking to Jim about our plans after the mission. He's heard through the gossip network that I'm the first choice for some instructing positions at Starfleet Medical, should I care to apply. They go into space at least once a year; if we were married, Starfleet would almost definitely put me on any ship you're on, if the schedules matched up."

Carol hid her face in her hands. "Why couldn't we have said all this that night?"

"Because we're intractable morons in love." Leonard took her hand in his. "So, missy, are we on again?"

Carol quickly glanced around to see if anyone was looking, then leaned in to peck him on the cheek. He wasn't having any of that—he captured her in a full tongue-and-teeth kiss that left her laughing until, rather suddenly, she was crying.

"Honey, what's wrong? Are you okay? Oh, honey," Leonard soothed, patting her hair.

She shook her head and wiped at her cheeks. "I'm just really overwhelmed right n-n-now," she hiccupped. The wave of emotion spent itself as quickly as it came, and then she was calm once more.

"It'll be alright. We're together again. If you want we never have to talk about our breakup."

Carol sniffed, embarrassed by her outburst. "Would you like to go to my quarters and get reacquainted?"

Leonard laughed until _he_ cried, and then they were leaving the observation deck hand in hand.

* * *

"What made you change your mind?" Leonard asked, his hand resting on Carol's chest. They were lying in bed together, nude and satiated.

"The way you talked about Joanna, actually," Carol admitted. "I realized what a good father you'd make."

Leonard's eyes widened. "We never even talked about children. Would you like some?" Carol made a non-committal sort of noise and plucked at the fine hairs on Leonard's knuckles. Leonard grinned maniacally. "It's settled! We'll have at least a dozen. Six girls and six boys."

Carol giggled. "Let's start with one, darling. We'll see what happens from there."

Leonard rolled onto his back, hands resting behind his head. "Oh, I like this picture. Let's see now—what shall we name them? Leonard Junior, obviously. Horatio. What about Jackson?"

Carol stuck out her tongue. "No. Try Forest."

"Kelly? It works for boys and girls."

"William, maybe. Very regal."

"What about Michelle? Or maybe Rochelle? Nichelle?"

Carol shook her head. "What about Grace? That's my grandmother's name."

"If we're going with ancestral names, there's a Barrett on my side. I think I have a great-uncle Walter. He was a navigator way back when. He married a fellow named George. Or maybe David, for my father."

They discussed names for several more minutes, their suggestions becoming increasingly ludicrous until finally Leonard announced that he would only consider having children if he was allowed to name his first-born son Zeus and Carol replied with a pillow to his face.

* * *

Jim slammed down his dinner tray across from Leonard, making him jump. "What's this I hear about you and the Lieutenant getting back together?"

Nobody noticed Spock pause mid-chew.

Leonard huffed and tore a piece off his roll. "Aren't best friends supposed to be happy about this kind of stuff?"

Jim rolled his eyes. "Of course I'm happy for you. But I heard it from some yeomen in the gym, Bones! You were supposed to tell me right away, and then I'd pour you a drink and we'd high five or something."

(Spock's eyes traveled to Jim's hands and the tips of his ears turned green.)

Leonard merely sipped his water. "Sorry, Jim. Carol and I were busy getting _reacquainted_. Must've slipped my mind."


	4. An Unexpected Party

Several dozen crewmen, enlisted and officer alike, fidgeted in little white seats in front of a small dais. Nervous excitement filled the air.

"Do you know when they'll be out here?" Leonard glanced at the clock for the seventh time in as many minutes, making Carol pat his shoulder.

"Why so rushed?" She handed him a wedding program. "It says three o'clock. They have four minutes left."

Leonard looked down at his wedding program and reread the words on it for something to do. Beneath a drawing of crossed sabers was the order of ceremony written in elaborately flowing script:

The Marriage Service of

Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu & Ensign Pavel Andreievich Chekov

Officiate: Captain James T. Kirk, USS Enterprise

PRELUDE

ENTRANCE OF WEDDING PARTY

READING

Sonnet #40 by William Shakespeare, read by Ensign A. Wiznewski

PROCESSIONAL

INVOCATION

MARRIAGE VOWS

EXCHANGE OF RINGS

ANNOUNCEMENT OF MARRIAGE

PRESENTATION OF GROOMS

RECESSIONAL

On the opposite page was a sketch of Hikaru and Pavel holding hands in the Enterprise's botanical garden. He felt a lump grow in his throat—they looked so in love. Nobody would think from looking at the picture that the early days of their relationship had been fraught with trials. He quietly whispered a prayer to whoever was listening that their hardships were completely over.

"Len, here they come," Carol whispered to him. They both looked to the back of the room where the double doors had just swung open.

Music began to play and the crowd fell silent.

* * *

Easy music played in the background while couples danced on the hardwood floor. Leonard held Carol close and they swayed lightly in a patternless dance in the corner.

"You look lovely in the color," Len said, kissing her forehead.

Carol smiled. "Thank you. Can you believe I almost didn't pack formalwear back on Earth? Nyota needled me into it. Said space was full of unexpected parties."

"Unexpected parties," Len echoed, his chest shaking with silent laughter. "That's one way to put it."

"Are you sure it's not tacky to wear a white dress to a wedding? The grooms are in their dress uniforms, but still…"

He pecked her on her lips. "Darlin', you look fine, and nobody cares that you're in white. Myself, I'm fond of the color on you. Will you wear it at our wedding?"

Carol rested her head on Leonard's chest. "I was actually thinking of wearing neon orange." She tilted her face up a bit and started laughing at Leonard's expression. "Just kidding."

They danced for a while longer until Carol pulled away, frowning and rubbing her lower belly lightly. "Sweetie, I need to sit down. I'm not feeling well."

Leonard guided her to a chair at an empty table. "What's wrong? Is there anything I can do?"

Carol winced and poured herself some water. "It's just a cramp. I've had it since we got here, but it's been growing."

Leonard seemed to do some mental calculations. "It's not your time of the month, if I'm remembering correctly."

She colored. "No, I can guarantee it's not my period. And I'd appreciate it if you'd lower your voice when you say stuff like that."

Leonard sat down next to her. "Sorry, honey. If you need anything, just tell me."

Carol merely winced again and nodded, then opened her little gilded menu. "Ugh, I forgot that they only have vegetarian dishes. I was hoping the local law enforcement would get their problems sorted out, but I guess not."

Leonard perused his menu in equal distaste. "There's a notation at the bottom that says local wines won't be available. Damn, they're really hurting down here." He closed his menu. "Will you have some of the liquor Scotty brought down? I'm sure the happy newlyweds will share."

"No alcohol for me, thanks," Carol said without looking up from the menu.

"It'll help with the cramp," he teased, elbowing her lightly in her side. She swatted his hand away.

"Water will just fine," she said before taking another sip from her glass. "Cheers, by the way."

They clinked their glasses together and waited for everyone else to sit down.

* * *

The toasts and storytelling began a while later.

Jim began with a highly embarrassing story about all the times he caught Hikaru and Pavel flirting at the console on the bridge.

"Now, guys, I can tell you were trying to flirt on the sly, but I sit _right behind you_. All those times you winked at each other and played footsy? Yeah, I saw that."

Hikaru and Pavel blushed deeply while the guests howled with laughter. Jim waited patiently for them to settle down and then he continued. "The best part was when they were dating and thought nobody knew. Hate to break it to you guys, but you're not exactly subtle."

Several bridge officers nodded, smiles threatening to break their faces. Jim raised his glass. "To Hikaru and Pavel, who can't hide their love even if they want to."

The crowd lifted their glasses and toasted.

Each member of the wedding party told a story about Hikaru and Pavel. Many of them were funny, some of them were touching. All of them made the newlyweds turn red each and every time. When Leonard finally stood to make a toast, he was unsure of how to beat Aleksy's tale of walking in on Hikaru and Pavel making out. Jim had laughed until he cried at that one.

He opted for the doctor angle.

"I see a lot of patients in medbay, but I've never seen two patients quite like Hikaru Sulu and Pavel Chekov," he began, looking fondly at the young men as he spoke. "It turns out they have the same rare blood type. In fact, they're the only crewmen on the Enterprise with that blood type. Over the last couple of years, every time I've stitched them up and gave them some new blood, it's the other one's they took."

Leonard saw surprise and wonder on several people's faces.

"Call it fate, call it destiny, call it whatever you want. You two are meant to be together. It's in your blood. That's my opinion as your doctor, and as your friend." He lifted his glass. "To Hikaru and Pavel."

Carol screamed.

She jumped up from her chair and hunched over, her arms hugging her abdomen tightly. "I'm bleeding! Someone stop the bleeding!"

Indeed, blood was trickling down her legs, highly visible because of her knee-length dress. A bloodstain bloomed grotesquely on the back of her white dress's skirt.

It was pandemonium. Voices and shouting erupted all at once, everywhere. Several people jumped up and hurried to contact the Enterprise. Leonard helped her to the floor while Nyota and the bridge crew shooed away most of the guests. Hikaru and Pavel hastily cleared table and made a makeshift partition near Carol with chairs and a tablecloth.

Leonard felt rather impotent without his kit, but that didn't stop him from dabbing a napkin with water from a pitcher and wiping her legs. He was hesitant to strip her clothes off while a dozen people stood by. "Carol, honey, did this just start? Where are you bleeding from? Did you cut yourself?"

Tears flowed down Carol's cheeks and she shook her head. "I'm losing the baby, Len," she choked. "I'm losing our baby." She groaned and hugged her middle again. "Make the bleeding stop. Please make the bleeding stop."

Before he could reply, three of Leonard's colleagues materialized nearby and rushed to her side with their medical kits.

A few minutes later Nurse Cardozo explained to his speechless commander that Lieutenant Carol Marcus had suffered a miscarriage.

"She says she was at least ten weeks pregnant, sir," Cardozo said while writing on a PADD. "Did you know?"


	5. Proving That Things Can Always Get Worse

**IMPORTANT:** There are comments and attitudes in this chapter that might come across to some readers as insensitive and callous. I purposely wrote them like that. I take the subject very seriously and will (hopefully) get everything straightened out by the end of the story.

Leonard shut the door behind him with a soft 'click'. Carol's eyes flickered in his direction, but she did not move from her nest of pillows and blankets on the bed.

"I know you're not feeling well, but we need to talk, Carol." Leonard's tone brooked no argument.

Carol's jaw tensed, but she nodded. "I know," she said, looking at her fingernails.

Leonard crossed the small inn room in three steps and sat down at the edge of the bed. Carol had been laid up in the bed for two days following discharge from the medbay, and it was clear she didn't intend to leave until the very last minute of shore leave.

There was a long silence until: "I trust you have a reason for hiding your pregnancy from me."

The words were neither harsh nor pleasant. Leonard was upset, but he knew anger and vitriol would get him nowhere, nor would they be conducive to helping Carol heal her myriad of wounds.

Carol reached beneath the covers and pulled out the program from the wedding. It was bent and creased, as if she'd slept next to it for a while. She handed it to Leonard.

"I had two reasons. The first reason I didn't tell anyone I was pregnant was because after everything Hikaru and Pavel went through, I didn't want to pull any attention away from them. Nothing steals thunder quite like a baby."

Leonard blinked. He hadn't expected that.

"You didn't want to—Carol, you could've just told _me_! I can keep a secret."

Carol shrugged, face impassive. "Things get out, Len. No offense, but Captain Kirk is your weak point, secret-wise, and that man tells everything to Commander Spock. I didn't want the entire senior command team to know before I was comfortable telling."

Everything in Leonard ached to argue, but she had a point; Jim had a way of ferreting out information, and since the Captain and his touch telepath First Officer were sleeping together…

"Okay, so were you going to tell me after the wedding?"

Carol nodded. "Yes, because it wouldn't take attention away from the newlyweds, but also because…" She twisted her hands in the blankets.

"What?"

"Because I didn't want you to think that I only wanted you for the baby's sake," she choked out, blinking rapidly. "When you brought me soup that night and you talked about Joanna, I realized what a valuable thing our relationship was, and I was an idiot to think otherwise. You're such a _good_ father, and a _good_ boyfriend, and I…I just…"

She broke down into fresh sobs. Leonard rearranged himself next to her and stroked her hair.

"I'm not going to pretend that everything's fine," he said quietly while she cried. "I wish you'd told me. You should've told me." He looked down at her and kissed her forehead. "But we'll get through this together. Personally, I think the torpedo was harder."

She sobbed more, but this time they were mixed with laughs.

* * *

"So what do you recommend?" Leonard perused the room service menu. They'd talked for hours until a loud growl from his middle made Carol giggle.

"I don't know, I haven't eaten since I got here a few days ago." Carol shimmied down deeper into the bed and closed her eyes, deeply content. "Those antibiotics Dr. M'Benga put me on took away my appetite."

"You're lucky," Leonard said, scowling at the menu. It was all vegetarian, and many items had little asterisks that directed him to a contrite explanation that due to factors outside the inn's control, many ingredients were unavailable. "Fucking separationists have disrupted so many supply lines, you can't even get a veggie burger here." He tossed the menu aside. "I'm going out to get something."

Carol hmm'd a response and covered her head with a pillow. "Take your time. I'm tired."

* * *

The region they were inn favored small inns, bed and breakfasts, and overpriced cafes. It was like all of Northern California had picked up and founded a colony, Leonard thought while he shelled out entirely too many credits for a wrap of dubious quality.

He sat down at the wrought-iron table and chewed quietly, mulling over his afternoon with Carol.

Physically, she was almost fine. Geoffrey had prescribed her antibiotics to fight off an infection from the miscarriage, but that wasn't too unusual. As long as she took the full battery of medicine, she'd be right as rain.

Emotionally, it was a different story. Carol was never one for theatrics, so her sudden crying jags and emotional scenes of the last few weeks made a lot more sense now that he knew she'd been dealing with the stress of impending motherhood and hormones on top of that. He hated that he'd been cut out of those early days, but that was all in the past now. Part of being in an adult relationship was making the choice to forgive and move on.

He took another bite of his wrap and considered his options. In his mind, not a single one of them involved leaving Carol, and that was the end of the matter. Whispering colleagues be damned, he loved her, she loved him, and they were going to be together as long as the universe allowed it.

Leonard polished off his wrap (he decided it wasn't that bad for a meal that was 85% leaves) and made to leave when three figures in the corner of the café caught his eye.

Maybe it was the way they were sitting. Maybe it was their furtive whispers and glances towards him. Maybe it was the ratty clothes in sharp contrast with upscale surroundings. Whatever it was, something about them said "off" to Leonard, and he made a study of their faces.

They saw him staring and left without a word. Leonard lingered for another moment and then went back to the inn.

Ensign Wiznewski-Winterbottom (Leonard reminded himself to not laugh) greeted Leonard in the inn's foyer with a hearty wave. "Doctor! Doctor McCoy!"

"Evening, Ensign. What are you doing here?"

Aleksy held up a contact lens case. "Rebecca forgot this, sent me down to get it like the whipped husband I am. What are _you_ doing here?"

"Having important relationship conversations, honestly. Fun stuff like that."

Aleksy winced. "Sorry. I'll leave you to that, hope it works out with, eh, Carol, right?"

Leonard nodded. "That's the one."

Aleksy's comm device beeped. He flipped it open and snorted. "She forgot her hairbrush, too." He snapped it shut and beckoned Leonard to follow him up the narrow staircase. "Marrying a scatterbrain is like taking up sport, I swear," he said, his smile belying his put-upon tone. "Is there anything worse?"

Leonard opened his mouth to list the many things in a mate that were worse than forgetfulness, but he never got that chance.

A deafening explosion ripped through the inn, and the world went black.


End file.
